Gd2O3 and In2O3 belong to the class of rare earth sesquioxides (RE2O3, RE=rare earth).
Recently, there has been significant interest in these materials because of their unique structural, electro-optic and magneto-transport properties.
Their thin films, grown either by techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy, pulsed laser deposition, or magnetron sputtering, have important applications such as in microelectronic, opto-electronic, and optical devices and also may have potential spintronic applications.
The sequioxides when doped with other rare-earth elements and transition metal ions can be used in lasers of different wavelengths and as phosphors.
Gd2O3 also known as gadolinia has many important applications in optics and applications involving its paramagnetic nature. It is being used as contrasting agent in clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Functionalized nanoparticles of gadolinia have been used to enhance contrast in MRI and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA).
Gadolinium oxide doped with Al has been proposed as a blocking oxide layer because of its high dielectric constant in charge-type Flash memory cell devices.
Gadolinia is also used in nuclear reactors as control rods and has the advantage of reducing fuel cost and increased fuel management flexibility. It is subjected to extreme conditions of temperature and pressure and could go through phase transitions. If, however, it is synthesized in the high pressure and temperature phase, it will not go through phase changes during the cycles of variable temperature and pressure and thus prolong the durability of these rods and their breakdown.